Our Team

In keeping with WVU’s strategic goal of excellence in research and innovation, five   Mountains of Excellence that represent multidisciplinary areas of strength and opportunity were created.

One area is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. Four colleges initiated a strategic plan focused on a cluster hire of faculty into the WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education (WVUCE-STEM).  

Gay Stewart serves as the director of the WVUCE-STEM, coordinating efforts throughout the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and across colleges. Keri Valentine,  Jessica Blythe, and Robin Hensel serve as the nodes in their colleges for the more than 60 faculty campus wide who have identified themselves as having an interest in engaging in work in this important area.

Gay Stewart

Director

The WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education is led by Gay Stewart, a nationally recognized figure in physics education, former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers, member of the Board of Directors of the American Physical Society, and leader of the College Board's redesign of the AP physics sequence. Her central role in the physics education community ensures that anay findings transferable to physics will be known and discussed at the national level. Gay's primary research area has been improving physics education for college students, STEM majors and future K-12 teachers.

Physics Faculty Page

Amanda Jelsema

Program Coordinator

Amanda joined the WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education in January 2016.

As the Program Coordinator, she is responsible for grant preparation and reporting for proposals associated with the efforts of the Center of Excellence and the interaction of the Center with individuals and organizations both internal and external to WVU. 

She also coordinates the work done by others, including: project management, data analysis and evaluation, compliance and control reporting, review of abstracts/presentations/protocols/publications/grant proposals, developing databases, preparing papers, post-award management, and outreach and recruitment.

Lynnette Michaluk

Research Assistant Professor

lynnette.michaluk@mail.wvu.edu

Dr. Michaluk joined the WVUCE-STEM Center staff in August 2015, where she serves as a research consultant, statistical analyst, and evaluator for center-affiliated projects and grants. She helps researchers create and refine formal research questions, hypotheses, and research methodology, creates and statistically validates survey assessments, and conducts statistical analyses. She also writes analyses sections for proposals and results sections for reports.